Have you ever found yourself wondering which clone of Napsin A to use? What about PAX-8? Or the ongoing dilemma of ordering a mouse monoclonal vs rabbit polyclonal? Then this webinar is for you!
In this presentation we will explore how antibody's are produced in their corresponding hosts. From there we will identify the main differences between the most popular types of antibodies, including mouse and rabbit monoclonals, and rabbit polyclonals. We will then compare the performance of specific clones that are backed by NordiQC data. We hope this will aid in choosing the best clone for your IHC tests.

It’s no secret that we live in a celebrity centric culture hungry for the latest news about our favorite famous faces. This lecture will employ the fascinating world of celebrities to introduce the immunohistochemical grid approach to cancer disease states. We will specifically use cancer stories from past and present entertainers, athletes, and politicians to examine the histological characteristics and statistics that define various tumor types. These cases will also be our launching pad as we take a deep dive into the intricate world of tumor immunophenotyping by highlighting recent antibody additions and their impact on modern detection. Attendees will learn the utility of these new antibodies and gain a better overall understating of how diagnostic grids are used by pathologists to provide thorough and accurate patient care.

Biomagnetic separation has proven to be a quick, efficient and clean process in Life Sciences. However, most researchers and developers focus only on the magnetic beads or particles to optimize their separation process. The effectivity of the biomagnetic separation depending on the magnetic carrier is only half of the story. To have the complete picture we also need to pay attention to the role of the applied magnetic field on the play. Not understanding or controlling the parameters linked to the magnetic separator will result in failure when developing new applications, and also in industrializing lab-scale developments. The webinar will review the basic concepts of magnetic separation and help the attendees understand how advanced systems may enlight key aspects of the process. These concepts will be applied to parameterize, monitor and validate the magnetic beads behavior in controlled conditions. Afterwards, the discussion will focus on how to transfer the correctly characterized biomagnetic separation process from laboratory to production scale. Finally, the webinar will address how to use this knowledge to assure the quality of the magnetic-carriers based products.

Chemiluminescent immunoassays (CLIAs) offer one of the best solutions for the quantification of low concentrations of specific analytes from a complex mixture for in vitro diagnostic industry. The assay format is similar to enzyme-linked immunoassays, usually based on heterogeneous assays where antibodies or antigens are immobilized on a solid phase but one of the components is conjugated with a chemiluminescent label.

The benefits of CLIAs can be enhanced using magnetic beads as a solid platform which improves the separation of the un-bound reagents and reduces the interferences using a magnetic field.

The CLIA assays based on magnetic beads together with chemiluminescent tagging of immunoreagents are widely used in high throughput automated platforms obtaining an amplified signal and decreasing the matrix interferences. The complexity of these type of immunoassays rely on the optimization of several components and parameters. The critical points are highly related to the type of immunoassay format that best suits the desired specifications, magnetic beads selection and conjugation conditions for magnetic particles and chemiluminescent labelling parameters.

Advances in gene editing technologies have generated a great amount of interest within the scientific community over the past few years. In addition to the ability to make precise double stranded DNA cuts virtually anywhere in the human genome, new variations of these tools show promise in the ability to activate or repress the expression of individual genes. Besides the obvious interest in clinical applications for these tools, there are practical uses of these tools for modifying and improving in vitro cell-based assays in areas such as preclinical ADME/Tox. This webinar will highlight these recent advances in gene editing technology and provide several examples of how this technology has been applied to ADME/Tox assays, including intestinal, hepatic and renal proximal tubule cell lines.

Latex enhanced immunoassay reagents can be adapted to automated biochemistry bio-analyzers ,equipment available in every modern biochemistry laboratory. Combining existing knowledge in the areas of antibody development and bead conjugation these reagents are suitable for the determination of proteins in patient samples. Their use can override the need for specific and expensive equipment necessary to perform these tests in the past. This talk will focus on the methods we could follow in the design of these reagents, the optimization of crucial factors in the development phase and the validation procedures to reach the expected analytical performance.

Did you know that the incidence of liver cancer has tripled since 1980? Have you wondered what current antibodies are being used to label liver carcinomas by IHC? Or are you curious what antibody grids are used in the differential diagnosis of primary liver carcinoma? In this presentation we will discuss the markers used in detecting liver carcinoma as well as other antibody grids that can be ran to aid in the identification of primary liver carcinoma.

The ability to accurately quantify all microRNAs (miRNAs) in a sample is not only important for understanding miRNA biology, but for the development of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets. SomaGenics has developed the RealSeq®-AC library preparation kit – a new method for preparing miRNA sequencing libraries that involves ligating the miRNAs with a single adapter and circularizing the ligation products. When compared to other methods, the RealSeq®-AC kit provides greatly reduced miRNA sequencing bias and allows the identification of the largest variety of miRNAs in biological samples. This reduced bias also allows robust quantification of miRNAs present in samples across a wide range of RNA input levels.

Come one, come all to the troubleshooting gallery as we learn sure-fire techniques to troubleshoot IHC stains. Inappropriate stains impact patient care, slow your lab down, and waste reagents, all of which cost your lab money, time, and peace of mind. This workshop will cover common histology and immunohistochemistry protocols, paying close attention to how each step influences stain quality. We’ll take aim at the root cause for most stain issues and set our sights on the red flags to look for when troubleshooting. We’ve got you covered from specimen collection to cover slipping. Too Light, Too Dark, Background, No Stain and the rest of the outlaws won’t stand a chance. You’ll mosey out of this workshop with a thorough understanding of how histology and immunohistochemistry work to produce a quality stain and the tools you will need to efficiently troubleshoot the most common stain issues. Giddy up and count yourself among the ranks of ‘Sharp Troubleshooter’ for your lab.

Immunohistochemistry has now been a staple in diagnostic pathology for decades. This is partially due to pathologist utilization of antibodies in the realm of specialty panels. As the science evolves, the panels evolve, creating demand for the next generation of antibodies to improve diagnostic capabilities. This talk will give an overview of some of these novel diagnostic markers and how they fit into the specialty panels with the traditional antibodies to provide the best diagnostic capabilities to the pathologist, therefore giving the patient the best care available.

For Pesticide Analysis in food and feed QuEChERS is an established Sample Preparation technique. Nonetheless there are some challenging sample matrices that require variations of the classical QuEChERS methodology. These are fat-rich matrices, intensively coloured matrices and dry, complex matrices such as teas, spices or herbs.

As even the variations in the official methods AOAC 2007.01 and EN 15662:2008 cannot fully remove all matrix interferences, this talk will introduce new sample preparation approaches leading to improved clean-up and recovery of pesticides in these challenging matrices.

LC-MS is one of the most commonly used analytical techniques in various sectors for quantitation and identification of unknown from variety of complex samples. Use of LC-MS has expanded over the years as it offers both selectivity and specificity in analysis. With advances in both chromatography and mass spectrometry, sensitivity and accuracy of this technique has further increased, allowing for detection and identification of low-level analytes in complex sample matrices.

The LC-MS workflow has three main components, which determine successful analyses: sample preparation, choice of mobile phase components and column selection. Not paying enough attention to one of these components can complicate data analysis, quantitation and identification.

In this seminar, you will learn critical factors to consider when selecting the sample preparation methods, mobile phase components and HPLC columns.

Cell culture in 3D systems: moving from 2D to 3D cell culture?
It’s now well accepted by the scientific community that the 3D cell culture condition better recapitulate the in vivo environment and behaviours of cells. But it’s not a trivial change to move from 2D cell culture conditions to 3D, and not always easy to choose the right system to use.

An understanding of the key parameters for 2D and 3D cell culture will be reviewed, followed by an overview of the technologies available at Merck with features, benefits, and application data.

E. coli is the most widely used recombinant expression system to overexpress protein given that it is inexpensive, easy to scale up, and relatively fast. Due to its wide-spread use, there are numerous molecular tools, products, and expression/purification protocols available. Determining which tools and products to use, such as plasmid, strain-type, affinity tag and resin system, or buffer exchange device can be daunting. Here, we present a workflow overview of the recombinant protein expression from E. coli and provide insight and various tips and tricks about how to optimize and improve protein yield and purity enabling you to make the best decisions for your protein of interest.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a mainstay of molecular biology and genomics that provides an efficient and rapid in vitro method for enzymatic amplification of DNA or RNA sequences from various sources. There are three unique, easy-to-use PCR additives that act at different temperatures to improve sensitivity and product yield by preventing mis-priming:

1. ThermaStop™: a novel reagent that acts like a universal hot-start for Type A and Type B DNA polymerases
2. ThermaGo™: a unique reagent that enhances the specificity of these same enzymes during the course of amplification
3. ThermaStop™-RT: a first-in-class reagent that acts like a hot-start for many reverse transcriptases.

Each reagent is a chemically modified oligonucleotide produced under GMP conditions and sold as a dry powder. Stable at room temperature, each reagent can simply be added to the enzyme of your choice prior to adding that enzyme/reagent complex to the master mix. These improvements are observed for both inexpensive Type A Taq polymerases and very expensive HiFi Type B DNA polymerases in applications such as qPCR, multiplexing, and preparation of DNA amplicons prior to next-generation sequencing (NGS).

From tissue processing to slide coverslipping, the histology workflow is laden with hazardous steps. Chemical sensitizers, strong acids, alkaline substances, and oxidizing agents are routinely used during histological workflows. These classes of chemicals are known to damage and even destroy living tissues. Ensuring the safety of laboratory workers is of the utmost importance. This workshop will present new approaches to help make the histopathology laboratory a safer environment with the use of formalin-free fixatives, phenol-free stains, DBP-free mounting media, IVD-certified ready-to-use reagents, and more.

Quantum Dots (QDs) undoubtedly attracted lots of interest with their superior luminescent properties. What is distinct about their luminescent properties is that the wavelengths of emitted light can be precisely tuned by changing of nanoparticle size or composition. Quantum dots possess narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM), high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), emission wavelength tunability through the entire visible and near IR range. In this webinar, we talk about synthesis and application of emerging quantum dots materials: Perovskite and PbS QDs. Perovskite QDs emit light within the visible range, have high PLQY (up to 100 %), narrow FWHM (below 20-25 nm), and are considered as the best alternatives for CdSe and InP QDs for display application. PbS QDs emit light in near IR region with narrow FWHM of absorption and emission, making them ideal in NIR photodetectors and solar cells.

In the last decade the trend for hyphenating different analytical techniques became an more and more important role in analytical labs. Combinations like LC-LC-MS or LC-MS-MS help to solve the analysis of complex samples in a proper way. The Analytical data which could be received are more sensitive focused on special analytes or give a better overview of the whole sample composition.

This webinar should give the attendances an overview of the advantage and strength of (HP)TLC- MS coupling technique along various Applications from different analytical fields using different MS techniques. Tips and tricks for the right handling are be presented, to avoid main basic defaults.

In the last decade the trend for hyphenating different analytical techniques became an more and more important role in analytical labs. Combinations like LC-LC-MS or LC-MS-MS help to solve the analysis of complex samples in a proper way. The Analytical data which could be received are more sensitive focused on special analytes or give a better overview of the whole sample composition.

This webinar should give the attendances an overview of the advantage and strength of (HP)TLC- MS coupling technique along various Applications from different analytical fields using different MS techniques. Tips and tricks for the right handling are be presented, to avoid main basic defaults.

In vitro 3D cell culture models have emerged as a bridge between conventional 2D cell culture models and the complex & expensive in vivo animal models. By analyzing and comparing the biological behavior of tissues embedded in 3 dimensional hydrogels, results are significantly different from classic 2D cell culture in terms of proliferation, morphology, drug response and gene expression. These differences have been attributed to the topographically complex 3D environment surrounding the cells, where cell adhesion, structure, effector transport and mechanotransduction are substantially altered. A carefully designed 3D model can provide more physiologically relevant information using experimental designs unachievable by conventional 2D assays at a fraction of the cost of in vivo models.
Current 3D cell culture assays like hanging drop culture often lack the capability to organize different co-cultured cell types in a meaningful way. The application of chemical gradients or flow is usually not possible.
We are now able to address this issue with a modular microfluidic platform that can co-culture multiple cell types in discrete 3D and 2D channels. Organotypic assays with animal model-like complexities using human cells have been developed for research, drug discovery & diagnostics. These include models for immune checkpoint, T-cell killing efficiency, angiogenesis, metastasis, cell migration, microvascular networks and the blood-brain barrier. Additional applications that focus on a liver model will also be discussed. Drug Induced Liver Injuries (DILI) contributes to drug failures, drug withdrawals and acute liver failures. The liver strongly interacts with other organ systems and in some instances the metabolites secreted by the liver are responsible for other organs' injury. Engineered 3D liver models may increase the physiological relevance of drug toxicity by maintaining the expression levels of key cytochrome P450 enzymes and metabolic activity in liver cells.

The Life Science Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Webinar Channel features scientific presentations from key specialists in analytical chemistry, biology, chemistry and life sciences on the practical and technical aspects of new developments and innovations, to help advance your research.